SOTC 346/365 (plus a bonus photo!)

Listen up for a minute. I don’t typically do editorial photography; however, when my planet is at stake, I make an exception.

Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg came to Alberta this week. Her trip included a stop in Edmonton on a Friday, which happens to be her weekly school strike day.

I’m primarily a nature/outdoor photographer, capturing the beauty of the world around me. And I want that beauty to last—both for my lifetime and the lifetime of generations to come. Everything I photograph inspires me to protect this earth I dwell upon. How does it not inspire others?!

So I admire Greta for turning up the volume on the issue of sustainability, and how critical it is to take actions--both individually, and as a society--that will improve our planet. Each part of the globe has their challenges; each part of the globe also has the power and ability to work and think differently.

One news article I read following her visit to Edmonton indicated that while Greta's message is powerful, it is not fully informed, as she does not seem to recognize any of the initiatives that already exist--initiatives of the kind that she is advocating for. It was is something I reflected on as well. There are several great innovations, nationally and world-wide, that reduce our negative impact on the environment (one of my favourites is this bad boy here).

That being said, at the end of the day--at least in Alberta--we are still extracting oil from the ground in excess. Alberta’s identity is wrapped up in oil and gas, to a fault. I get it--I heat my home with natural gas and fill up my car at Shell like everyone else. AND, I also believe we need to move away from oil and gas to something more sustainable as fast as possible.

I do agree that Greta will need to start affirming the positive actions that are being taken if she wants her message to remain powerful and motivating over time. It's well-known that recognizing strengths is a better motivator for learning and change than admonishment. Greta's key focus right now seems to be in sending the message that society simply isn't moving fast enough to counteract the damage we are still doing; and, that we aren't taking those 2C seriously enough. While the message is limited in scope, she's not wrong. (I've been eco-conscious since well before she was born, and some days it blows my mind that some people don't even value the concept of recycling, let alone anything more advanced.)

I have lots of beautiful places I want to photograph both in this province and around the world. ...will they still be there when I arrive?

#IAmGrateful 14

Alone Time

Alone time is not an option for me. To be my best self with people, I need regular time apart from people.

I have a collection of quiet spaces. In the summer, my hammock hugs my introverted soul; in the depths of winter, a hot bubble bath does the same. I have claimed the river valley for my own some days, and there's a reason I enjoy driving so much. And after a long or hard or just-too-people-y day, the best quiet space is home.

Growing up, my two favourite oases for alone time were my bedroom and the living room. As an adult, not much has changed; they are still my two favourite spots in the house to curl up with a book, my journal, or my laptop. Put on some acoustic guitar, light a candle, find a cat--and I am set to settle in for the evening.

I am so grateful for these spaces. And grateful to have a lifestyle where this needed time is generally easy to come by--my routine includes it, my coworkers respect it, and my closest friends 'get' it.

The Multi-Coloured Thoughts in My Head

Between recent local pride parades and the US decision to legalize gay marriage country-wide, there's been a lot of colour in my Facebook feed. Because of my social circles, I get the pro-posts and the anti-posts.

...Am I the only one who feels like she sits in the middle?

This has always been one topic where I can't pinpoint exactly what I believe. I live in the tension of not fully knowing.

My Christian faith drives my values. I know what I've been taught--what the New Testament says: that homosexual practices are a 'no.'* And since I use Scripture as one tool to guide my faith practices, I'm inclined to settle on, "well, okay, then--I can't support homosexual practices as something godly." That is, lean into the idea that the lifestyle falls into that swamp of behaviours called sin.

Seems simple, but what does that look like in the day-to-day? ...I feel like church doesn't help me here (and by church, I don't mean my personal congregation, I mean the global institution). And it's likely, in part, because the church struggles with its response too. But I feel like the church often mixes up how it treats the LGBTQ person and the LGBTQ lifestyle.

From what I can tell, the Bible admonishes the practice, not the person.

(It admonishes a lot of practices, but never the person.)

I've never actually had much trouble with that concept.

Because did you know you can disagree with someone and still love and accept them?

I'm pretty sure Jesus' command was to love others. Full stop.
(I know the kind of people He hung out with.)

A meme flew through my news feed ages ago that read along the lines of, "getting angry at someone because what they do is against your religion is like being angry at someone for eating a doughnut because you're on a diet."

It's not a perfect analogy, but do you get the point? If I have chosen to adhere to a certain value system with certain beliefs, then fine--but that doesn't give me the right to go around admonishing people who aren't in line with that value system.

I wish that hypocritical, Pharisitical** Christians would stop giving the rest of us a bad name.

There is a place for LGBTQ individuals in our pews.

There's a place for them on our worship teams.

There's even a place for them to--gasp--teach your children in Sunday School.

Scripture spends a good chunk of time talking about the body of Christ. And the fact that all believers are part of that.

And some believers don't fit traditional gender roles and sexual orientations.

Do you think God didn't know they'd be LGBTQ before He created them?

Maybe He IS saddened by those who fall into non-traditional genders. I don't know.

Humans are a broken creation, right down to the cellular level.

And maybe He didn't create His children to be anything other than just male and female, but He has obviously let a continuum of gender unfold.

And I know two things.

God doesn't make mistakes.
AND
God can use our brokenness for His glory.

So step up, church. LGBTQ individuals have a right to be included in the body.***

On that note, I do wish that members of the LGBTQ community would quit hassling churches that choose not to perform non-traditional marriages. Yes, it's illegal and unjust to discriminate against a person by not allowing them into the congregation to be a part of the church community, but I don't think it's discrimination to not offer a service they don't believe in as a body. That's not discrimination; that's just a congregational preference.

You could compare it to dress codes. It's legal to wear pretty much whatever you want, but it's likely against policy to wear flip-flops if you work in a corporate office downtown. That's not discrimination; that's a preference for a certain professional standard that the business has set.

Or compare it to living on campus. My university was a dry campus. Drinking alcohol is legal for anyone over 18, and students were allowed to drink, but not on campus. That's not discrimination; that's an institutional preference.

And one last example, because I need to drive this home: smoking. It's legal to smoke, but I don't allow smoking in my home. I have no issues interacting with, caring about, and having smokers over, but I'm simply not going to allow them to smoke in my house. That's not discrimination; I just value clean air--a personal preference.

So while I believe that the church needs to step up in its acceptance of the LGBTQ community as people worthy of worshipping in the same space, I believe the LGBTQ community needs to step down and respect an individual church body's decision not to provide marriage services outside of the traditional.

But considering all of that, I still don't know where that leaves me in what practices I support (or don't) as an individual.

I work for an organization that advocates for inclusion of people with disabilities. I realized not too long ago that if I'm advocating for inclusion, that means inclusion for ALL. I can't push for the rights of people with disabilities and not the rights of other minorities.

Which is why I'm confident in saying, "hey, church, step up your game and actually be inclusive."

But if--as a Christian--I'm not supposed to not support LGBTQ practices.... what happens if one day I know and care about someone who is LGBTQ and they invite me to their wedding? Could I go, because I love and care about that person, or would I have to make a faith statement and decline the invitation? I don't like thinking about that.

Because I know too much biology and psychology to believe that homosexuality could be a choice.

Sexual orientation and gender are not a choice, any more than eye colour is a choice. And how ridiculous would it be to say to a person, "I love you and care about you, but I can't come to your wedding or honour you and your partner's relationship because your eyes are blue."

And how unjust it feels to say to a person, "I know you can't control how you were born, but you will need to inhibit the desires of how it's made you want to live your life."

It's not like it's a disorder or some psychopathology where their practices and behaviours could hurt themselves and others and do need to change (but where you would still love, accept, and include that person as part of a community, let me be clear). I don't see how loving someone of the same gender, or identifying with the opposite gender is hurtful. I think it's more hurtful to deny who you are.****

I recognize that I speak from a place of 'straight privilege.' Outside of my own cognitive dissonance, this is not my struggle. I would wager that an LGBTQ Christian might read this, shake their head at me, and think, "you can't even possibly know."

But I want to. 

* 1 Cor. 6:9
** Is that a word? It is, now.
*** This guy's been resonating with me a bit lately.

**** But what about STDs and AIDS, Gina? you ask. Well, I'm pretty sure that afflicts a lot of straight people too. I think that has less to do with what gender you lean towards and more about promiscuity, which I do firmly believe is not a good idea, regardless of your sexual orientation.

304/365

Fire drill muster point. Better May than November.

237/365

There's pretty much no place my camera can't go.

236/365

Manicure party!

222/365

I'm working.

Really.

209/365

Tiramisu! (with a hint of "get your own")

189/365

I packed along my new book for my retreat weekend, and have not been disappointed in its content. Susan Cain takes a much different perspective in her book on introversion than Marti Laney does in the other book I own and love on the same topic. As I spent my weekend engaged in reading and other solitary activities, I found myself reflecting on the introverted temperament a lot. Both in the context of a group (Susan's perspective) as well as in the context of myself (Marti's perspective).

I had to chuckle on the Friday night--three of us introverts shared a room at the retreat centre, and we spent a good chunk of it in those pre-bedtime hours, each into our own book, not saying a single word to each other. And it was good. Nevertheless, my chuckle lay in the fact that I could imagine watching this scene as an extroverted fly on the wall. How strange any mysterious our social unit must have seemed!

It gave me cause to wonder if there was a single extrovert at this weekend.* There were two other groups, as well as a couple solo retreaters, at King's Fold for the weekend. At lunch, the staff lady commented, "boy, I don't know what you guys are doing, but it sure was quiet out there this morning." We had all split off into separate activities; sometimes alone, sometimes with one or two other people. Socializing at our own pace. Introverted perfection.

I enjoy the group of people that I was technically "there" with, but I sure did appreciate being able to pick and choose when I wanted to interact with any of them. I'm pretty sure some (if not all) of them felt the same in return. And I really admired that this was a safe place to be able to portray the attitude of, "I love being with you, but I feel like being on my own right now," and have it be perfectly okay.

What are you doing today?
I'm being myself.

*Introverts are outnumbered three to one; there must have been extroverts around, and my friends and I could name off a couple we suspected. They sure handled themselves well in what I'm pretty sure was an introvert-concentrated population. :)

159/365

Movie night. I can taste the butter and salt as I type :)

156/365

Each engaged in our own screen; oh, technology.

155/365

Friends, tunes, coffee. We are good to go. :)

Relationship, Fellowship, Community

Sometime last year, my passion for the people in my life got heightened. I just got this sense that I needed to start really focusing on my interactions with others--in all relationships; in fellowship and community. Not just with the people I'm close to, but with people I might only cross paths with once; acquaintances; friends of friends. God calls us to be in relationship, and to be in community. He has blessed me with a core group of people that I see more, communicate with more, desire to grow more closely with, and whom I love fiercely. But I interact with so many other people, too.

I might be in a kindergarten in the morning, at playgroup in the afternoon, at Bible study that evening. The next day I might be in a family's home, and then at a consultant meeting, and providing respite somewhere that evening. How many people might I have interacted with in just 48 hours?

Needless to say, I've spent a lot of time recently thinking about my best fit at work, with friends, with family, in different social circles... where am I supposed to be building relationships? What does God want my different relationships to look like? And how do I live that out?

Via a link off another blog I tend to follow, I found an interesting article on relationships. It is something I think I intuitively figured out several years ago, but never really thought about overtly. It talks about being in relationship not solely for what each person brings to the relationship, but for who each person is in the relationship. Not expecting that because someone is a certain type of friend or colleague, they will fulfill criteria X, Y, and Z; but instead, that friend or colleague brings something of themselves which gives the relationship value, regardless of what they do, but instead, because of who they are.

Interestingly, I think--at least, for myself--this mindset is more likely in relationships that have I've been in for a long time. While each of the people I am close to have strengths that I admire, and that I expect I can count on them for (as I'm assuming others would of me), my desire to spend time with them or grow the relationship starts to have less and less to do with their tangible contributions to the relationship, and more and more to do with just wanting to enjoy that person.

What I've been wanting to do is be able to extend that to the relationships that don't necessarily have a history behind them. To enjoy families that I might only interact with once, and not just carry out the consulting role I am expected to perform. To not expect something specific out of a relationship just because that person meets criteria X when we hang out, but to just be with the person. And the opposite: to seek to build a relationship with someone I might not necessarily take the time to form a deep relationship with because I only expect them to meet criteria X.

It's a work in progress, but it's a blessing-filled journey so far!